Rose Ball
by Aspicia
Summary: The Black Order's 1000th Anniversary Ball is around the corner! How will our Exorcists prepare? Expect appearances like the Generals, Asian Branch, and more. :DISCONTINUED INDEFINITELY:
1. An Invitation Arrives

It was a sight to behold and stare in awe. Several, no, _dozens_ of flying golems suddenly took off to the sky from a building located in the Vatican City and sped to all corners of the earth. What was also strange about this was that each golem had a little silk pouch tied to its body containing three or four fancy cards with fine lettering.

* * *

_(Main Headquarters, Science Department offices)_

Komui sipped his coffee and just smiled at the card he was reading. A golem had flown in and dropped off the card onto his table. The Chinese man had been waiting for this. He had known such news would arrive sometime soon. Without even looking outside, he knew that his little sister and everyone else in the building were going to be paid a visit by a golem today.

* * *

In the hallways, Lenalee was walking towards the cafeteria with Lavi and Allen. It was nearing lunchtime and the white-haired British Exorcist would always ensure he was one of the first few. Timcanpy fluttered above him, and suddenly, it started to flap its little wings excitedly. The three teenage Exorcists looked up in question.

"What's that…?" Lenalee began.

True enough, three black golems came whizzing towards them at a dangerous speed. Allen and Lavi's mouths dropped open in shock and ducked for the oncoming flying bullets, but instead of conking them on the head, the golems just flew past them. Then, slowly, two little envelopes made of the finest paper quality at that time were dropped at their feet. Each had their name and rank printed on the front (For example: _Allen Walker, Exorcist_). Lenalee managed to catch hers as it sailed through the air.

"An envelope?" Allen said, looking at his name on it.

Lavi turned his envelope over. "An official seal from the Holy Vatican itself," he muttered, studying the wax seal behind all their envelopes. Lenalee and Allen couldn't contain their curiosity any longer and gingerly opened the sealed envelops. Lavi followed suit.

Inside, was a card written in cursive font and gold lettering that said:

_**The Central Administration of the Black Order**_

_**Is deeply honoured to announce a most glorious event:**_

**_THE 1000__TH__ ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLACK ORDER_**

_**This most holy organisation of God has turned a millennium old & thus, a formal ball shall be organised and held in accordance to this most gracious occasion.**_

_**Thy venue shall be the Main Headquarters.**_

_**All members and supporters of every branch of the Black Order are cordially invited. It is regrettable if any honourable guest were unable to attend.**_

_**All guests are implored to be in formal attire befitting an official ball. In the case of male members of the Order, your official uniform is deemed acceptable. Any guest not meeting this strict dress code will be barred from attending this honourable event.**_

_**It is not absolutely necessary for one to be escorted by a partner for the ball.**_

"EH?! A BALL?!" The three of them exclaimed in shock, wide-eyed. Who knew that even a religious organisation like the Black Order would hold such frivolous events, even in the case of an anniversary?

_

* * *

_

**The author speaks:** _Just to start off this fic, I've let you all see the official invitation! ;p Oh yeah, I haven't a clue as to how old the Black Order actually is, but I thought a millennium is a nice number, dontcha think so too? ;D_

_Please R&R :)_

**Preview for the next chapter:** Komui is busy busy busy! With the arrival of auditors from the Central Administration to assist in preparing the Main Headquarters to be ready for the ball, he has no time to hunt down any potential dates that may, and possibly will, ask Lenalee out for the ball. Meanwhile, Cloud Nine is the first General to return! Will the other Generals follow suit? Hmmm...


	2. Let's Prepare! But Who's Worrying?

_(Main headquarters)_

Komui smiled respectfully as he shook the hand of Manfred Gant, the head supervisor of the team of auditors that Central Administration had sent over. The man in his fifties took his duties seriously, but he had a gentle side as well. Coming from a noble family of the Queen of England's Royal Court, and having attended many other important functions for the Vatican and the Pope himself, Gant was certainly experienced in organising a formal function for a significant occasion.

"I assure you that my department and myself will do all we can in our power to assist your team in making this a successful event," Komui said proudly.

Gant nodded. "Excellent. Well, shall we begin then? Firstly, it is already decided that the most suitable venue of the Headquarters' building for the ball to be held would be the Training Room, correct?"

Komui nodded. The Training Room was the place where new Exorcists would begin their training on controlling their Innocence. (It is also the place where Komui secretly tests his newly-built Komurins as well, but that's another story.) "Seeing as it is relatively large enough to accommodate all the guests and for dances to take place as well, it is certainly the best place to hold the ball. My department has already made it all ready for the respective décor to be set up."

"Excellent again. Now, we have other things to discuss, like the catering of food, and the orchestra for starters…"

* * *

Lenalee paced around the hallway of the floor where her room was. Since receiving the invitation yesterday, all that had been occupying her thoughts were the formal event that would be taking place in that very building. It's not that she was nervous, or excited about it, it was just…

"I've never been to one of these things. So what am I suppose to do in one?" She sighed. Then suddenly, she heard a cry of anguish nearby.

"Sounds like…"

"OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO! YES, NOW I KNOW! I WON'T GO. THAT'S RIGHT! IT'S BETTER IF I DON'T GO! BUT…BUT, IT DOES SOUND RATHER FUN... OH WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?!"

'Miranda,' Lenalee thought, with a smile of amusement. She ran towards Miranda's room, which was directly below hers. Her pigtails flying, she went downstairs and saw that Miranda's door was slightly open. Peeking in, she saw an odd sight: Miranda was clutching what seemed to be the invitation to the ball, and she was on her knees, frantically debating with herself.

"Erm…Miranda, what's wrong?" Lenalee asked meekly.

Miranda turned and saw a concerned Lenalee at her door. She lunged forward and crushed Lenalee with a hug, sobbing about her worries. "Erm…" Unsure of what to do, Lenalee just awkwardly patted Miranda on the back.

"Oh, Lenalee, I-I-I just don't know what to do!! The ball… I don't think I should go at all!!" Miranda wept.

"Eh? But why! Miranda, I think you should attend…After all, you're part of the Black Order too!" the Chinese girl assured, trying to sound as optimistic as she could.

Miranda released Lenalee and slowly went towards her bed, before flopping down onto it. She let out a deep sigh, and studied her hands. "Lenalee, I'm bound to do something careless there. Like… accidentally knocking over the food table…or stepping on someone's foot when dancing… or spilling something on a very important guest… or–"

"Miranda." Lenalee gently took the older woman's hands in hers. "Those things may happen, yes, but…I think the ball is like battling Akuma, you know?"

Miranda shot Lenalee a curious look. The girl chuckled softly. "I mean, we don't know what's going to really happen, all we should do is go for it, right? And, who knows… we may end up leaving the place with smiles on our faces." She smiled kindly at the woman. "Don't worry, I'll be with you there, and we're going to enjoy ourselves at the ball, okay?"

Though still hesitant, Miranda slowly nodded. The two female Exorcists shared a hug in comfort. Then, Lenalee spoke up.

"Erm, Miranda? Do you know what exactly to do in a ball? I don't know anything about it… Like what to wear, and how to dance, things like that."

"Eh?! I don't know that either! Oh no! WHAT IF WE DO SOMETHING WRONG?! AHHHH!"

* * *

The giant gate of the Headquarters opened to allow a figure to enter. Striding with a calm pace, the figure walked through the halls, knowing exactly where to go. Some members of the Order stopped to stare, mostly out of respect, and some due to awe. You can hardly blame them for staring of course. It's not every day a General actually returns back to Headquarters.

General Cloud Nine, with her monkey quietly perched on her shoulder, walked towards a room where most members of the Order were not allowed to enter without authorized permission. Then, she opened the doors to it.

Komui was having a meeting with some of the Science Department and of course the team of auditors as well. Looking up to see the female General, he stood up from his seat. "Ah, General Cloud Nine, welcome back to headquarters," he greeted politely. "I expect you have received your invitation?"

The monkey on her shoulder suddenly held out his paw, and it was seen that it was gripping on the invitation card. Komui nearly cringed when he saw little teeth marks on the edges. 'She lets her monkey…chew on it?!' He then cleared his throat.

"Erm, yes then. Well, I can assure you that your room is the same just as you have left it," he said, reverting back to his usual polite mode. Cloud just nodded and left the room. Before she went out of sight, everyone could see that her monkey began to nibble on the card, and she didn't make any move to stop it.

Gant turned to Komui. "Charming woman, isn't she?"

Komui just shrugged. "Aren't all the Generals whacked in some way or other?" To Gant's amazement, several of the Science Department murmured in agreement.

* * *

"Ah! Miss Cloud! You're back!" Cloud turned around as she was walking in the hallway. The monkey on her shoulder stopped nibbling for a moment and screeched in greeting to the young female Exorcist running towards them.

"Lenalee, isn't that right?" Cloud began.

The pigtailed girl nodded with a smile. "Have you returned for the ball, Miss Cloud?"

Cloud looked away and replied with a bored tone, "More or less. All the other Generals are being hounded by your brother to return anyway. I figured I should save him any more trouble."

"Hmmm…does that mean even General Cross will return?" Lenalee asked thoughtfully. Cloud's monkey hissed at the mention of Cross. Cloud had to stroke its head.

"Who knows. Tiedoll will definitely come; he's the type to when it comes to important functions. Sokaro may or may not; it depends on his unpredictable mood. Cross…will be Cross," she replied nonchalantly, while scratching her monkey on the chin. Lenalee stared in wonder at Cloud's indifference. This was the woman known in the Order for her gentleness towards her own team?

Cloud noticed Lenalee shuffling her feet, as though wanting to ask something. "What is it, Lenalee?" she asked lazily. The Chinese girl started to twiddle her thumbs. Then, she plucked up her courage and gave a big smile to the woman before her.

"Miss Cloud, could you do me and Miranda a favour?"

* * *

Allen played with a fork after he had finished his ninth plate of spaghetti. Looking around him, he noticed that most of the other members were either running here and there with errands assigned by Komui or were trying to spruce up Headquarters. Komui and the Science Department had their hands full with this whole ball thing. He sighed and eyed a little card that was next to the mountain of plates he had plowed through earlier. The last line seemed to be taunting him.

_It is not absolutely necessary for one to be escorted by a partner for the ball._

The white-haired boy sighed again. When he had first read that line, his eyes had turned towards a certain pretty female Exorcist standing just next to him. Allen knew what balls were (Cross used to brag how he got invited to such things all the time), and he also knew how a certain custom was for a man and a woman to go together…as _dates_.

'It might be nice if I were to go with Lenalee…but then again…' His cheeks were tinted pink. But in addition, the thought of asking Lenalee out horrified him. He buried his head in his hands. Timcanpy landed on his head, and Allen said, "You know Tim, I'd rather take on Akuma than go through with this."

Little did Allen know that he wasn't the only one thinking of asking a certain Chinese Exorcist out for the ball… Across the cafeteria from where Allen was mulling things over, an eyepatched Exorcist was leaning against the wall, thinking of the very same thing.

* * *

_(Asian Branch Headquarters)_

"Master Bak, I have already had your best set of uniform all dry-cleaned and ready for the ball," Wong informed proudly. The Head of the Asian Branch nodded and smiled in gratitude at his right-hand man, before diverting his attention to his phone call with Komui.

"Seems like even the Great Komui Lee can't worm his way out of this one, eh?" Bak smirked.

"Why, Bak dear, I didn't think you'd care," Komui cooed from over the phone, to which Bak replied agitatedly, "Don't call me DEAR!!"

Laughing, Komui continued. "Well anyway, it seems everything is going on smoothly here in preparations. Still, we haven't received word from the other three Generals whether they will return or not. I won't be surprised if General Cross wouldn't, though; it might be safer for the ladies if he didn't show up."

Bak rolled his eyes. "Thanks to this ridiculous event, that's all my people have been going on about! Just today, nearly a dozen of them have asked for a day off so that they can go shopping for what to wear!"

Komui laughed. "You can't blame that on me, Bak dear. Well, work has to be done now! I'll see you at the ball, my dear Bak!"

"DON'T CALL M–!"

* * *

Lou Fa sighed dreamily as she clutched her own invitation to her chest. To go to the main Headquarters was a dream come true! But to see Allen Walker all dressed up for the ball was an added bonus! She giggled to herself.

Then snapping out of her reverie, Rikei conked her head, reminding her to stop daydreaming and get back to work. "Ball or no ball, if Master Bak sees us slacking, we may be disallowed from attending!" he reminded severely.

* * *

**The author speaks:** _Well, hope this chapter wasn't too boring._ -sheepish smile- 

_Please R&R :)_

**Preview for the next chapter:** Cloud has an uphill task ahead of her! Will she be able to fulfill the favour Lenalee so sweetly asked of her? Meanwhile, Allen still ponders on whether he should ask Lenalee out, and he isn't the only one either... Krory comes into the picture when he manages to coax Allen and Lavi to accompany him to town to purchase a suit (tuxedo I mean) for the ball! Wait, don't our two cutest male Exorcists need one too? And of course, another General returns!


	3. Of Lessons, Suits & Tiedoll

**Author's note: **_Well, just to answer this question in my reviews first – of course I won't forget our ever-favourite sour-faced Japanese swordsman! XD I intended for him to appear in the second chapter but I thought I had squeezed in too many characters already, so I thought I'd just put him in the third chapter. (:

* * *

_

"It's simple. I. Am. Not. Going. Period."

General Tiedoll sighed. It was so typical of his disciple, Kanda, to immediately decline attending a social function. When the three of them (Tiedoll, Kanda and Noise) each received their invitations, the first thing the black-haired Japanese Exorcist did was to crush the little card in this palm and stuff it in one of his pockets. Now, they were returning from one of their assigned missions back to the main Headquarters.

"Now now, Yuu my boy, what would your friends say if you refused to show up for this?" Jolly old Tiedoll mused.

"What _friends_? Oh. You mean them." And Kanda rolled his eyes.

The old General hung his head. He certainly wasn't going to have one of his disciples to miss out in a once-in-a-lifetime function like the Order's Anniversary Ball! It was held only once every hundred years! To miss out on it would be such a waste, he believed.

Noise just watched in amusement. Of course, he will go for the ball, and he had expected his comrade Kanda to outright refuse to go, but to watch Tiedoll coax the stone-cold Kanda to attend a frivolous ball was surely entertaining. Getting Kanda to actually agree to go is like…getting the Earl to convert to Catholicism.

"Yuu, the ball is a wonderful opportunity to socialise with the other members of the Order worldwide," Tiedoll patiently explained. "It is also the only occasion, besides Christmas and Easter, where the Central Administration itself is allowing a mass gathering in celebration of this glorious event."

The Japanese Exorcist's apathetic expression didn't change a bit. "Che. The organisation is just turning another year older since its establishment. That doesn't make it a _glorious event _in my book."

Noise burst out laughing. Tiedoll began to look exasperated. This is certainly going to be much, much, MUCH harder.

* * *

This wasn't a largely known fact, but a General's room is actually two and a half times the size of an ordinary Exorcist's room. The room of Cloud Nine was untouched since her departure from headquarters. Now, there were three female Exorcists in there; Cloud of course, and Lenalee and Miranda.

"That's right, Lenalee," Cloud was saying, "Keep your shoulders back, and your chin parallel to the ground. Keep maintaining that walking pace…yes…and– Miranda!" There was a sudden loud noise as the sound of books tumbling onto the floor could be heard.

A flustered Miranda was horrified at disrupting the lesson Cloud was giving her and Lenalee. "I'm-so-sorry-I'm-so-sorry-I'm-so-sorry!!!" She stuttered hysterically, hastily picking up the two books she had dropped. Lenalee took off the books that were balancing precariously on her head to run over to Miranda in a bid to comfort her.

Cloud tried not to laugh out of amusement. "No matter, Miranda. We shall simply start over again. Now, where were we? Oh yes. Remember, the objective of this practice is to _glide_ across the room with the proper posture that I have demonstrated. In addition, you must be able to do so with these books placed on your head. After we have succeeded these basics, we will move on to walking with heels." She motioned for her 'students' to begin.

While Lenalee was slowly but steadily making some noticeable progress (she managed to walk halfway across the room without sending the books toppling down to earth, but further than that, no such luck yet), it's another story when it comes to Miranda. Besides tripping over her long dress seven times, she knocked over one of Cloud's vases and thus it shattered, bruised both her knees and dropped her books so often that one of the book's pages became loose.

Cloud sighed, and clapped her hands once, signalling for her two students to stop. "Perhaps we should move on to the dinner table now, shall we?"

* * *

Komui flopped down onto his armchair in his office, and took his coffee cup from his desk. Seeing that he had already drunk every drop of his coffee, he slumped even lower into his chair. What a day it has been. First the team of approved chefs that were assigned to prepare the buffet for the ball had trouble deciding which recipes to use (Jeryy and them are still arguing as we speak), and now the orchestra hired for the ball may be delayed in their arrival in time for the ball itself.

He had been so busy that he hadn't even seen his beloved little sister in two days! What was she doing now? What if, god forbid, some member of the Order had a death wish AND WAS PLANNING TO ASK HER OUT FOR THE BALL?! Komui sat up straighter at that thought. "Over my dead body would I allow anyone ask my innocent Lenalee out," he growled, and made a dash for the door.

Before he even reached the doorknob, it suddenly opened and Komui crashed headfirst onto the door. Reever had entered and saw his supervisor sprawled on the floor. "Oh, Supervisor, Mr Gant is requesting for you now," Reever asked, not too concerned about seeing Komui in that state. 'He was probably going to hound some random guy for thinking of asking Lenalee out,' Reever thought, rolling his eyes.

* * *

_(In town)_

Lavi and Allen watched with bored expressions as their good friend Krory tried to decide which of the two tuxedo suits he had shortlisted was he going to ultimately purchase. Both of them had the same thought running through their minds: 'Why on earth did I agree to accompany Krory to town? Why didn't I just stay back in HQ like a good little boy? WHY?'

The vampiric Exorcist cupped his chin in thought. Even the shopkeeper looked utterly lifeless while waiting for his customer's decision. "Allen, Lavi, what do you think?" he asked for the umpteenth time, turning to his bored comrades.

"We told you, JUST PICK ONE!" Lavi said, trying to refrain from pulling his hair out in frustration. Allen, on the other hand, began to look out of the shop's window out of boredom. His thoughts travelled to a dilemma he had been pondering about ever since he had gotten the invitation.

"I've finally decided!" Krory announced proudly. The shopkeeper and Lavi began to cheer. Krory had a confident smile on his face and declared, "I will be getting both of them, and on the day itself, I will decide which one to wear." Lavi's jaw dropped. After all the hours spent debating, listing down the pros and cons, and even consulting the tailor of the shop, Krory decided to get BOTH?! The junior Bookman began doing the breathing exercises he once read about, in order to prevent himself from attacking the smiling Krory out of agitation.

As he handed the money to the cashier, Krory mused out loud, "Hmm…Don't Allen and Lavi need one for the ball too?" Lavi and Allen stopped in their tracks.

"Erm, well, I've never really thought about it…" Allen sheepishly answered.

Lavi grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Heh. Whatever I wear, I'll still look good, Kro-chan."

Krory shook his head. "No, no, no. I can't allow you to just waltz into such a lavish event without the proper attire! Tailor! We need suits for these two gentlemen here!" He called, snapping his fingers for the tailor working in the shop.

"Eh?!" Before they could protest, the tailor and his two assistants somehow apprehended the two male Exorcists and began taking out measuring tapes to, erm, _measure_ them of course. Meanwhile, Krory himself settled onto a seat while watching all of this.

"Hmmm…say, Allen, Lavi?" Krory asked thoughtfully. "I was wondering…will you be getting partners for the ball?"

The tailor and his assistants disappeared into the back room to bring out some samples of their suits, leaving the Exorcists alone for a while. Allen began to shuffle his feet while Lavi avoided eye contact with Krory. Krory examined his friends' reactions to his simple question and chuckled. "Ah, so both of you DO have a certain someone you want to ask out!" He laughed before dodging a feign punch from Lavi. Allen just flushed but didn't respond to Krory's probing statement.

The junior Bookman straightened himself and gave a cough. "Well, Kro-chan, what about _you_? Surely there must be some girl you're planning to ask out," he shot back. But Lavi's smug expression turned into one of surprise when Krory's face fell. Allen looked at his friend's dismal expression and went towards him.

"Krory, what's wrong? Lavi didn't mean it; you know how he is," the white-haired boy reassured.

"Eliade…she, she loved balls. We used dance until the sun came up," Krory muttered woefully. Allen shot a glare at Lavi, who was at a loss for words. There was a silence until…

"Well! The tailor is back!" Krory said, putting on a smile again. "We should be able to find one that suits you both…I'll pay for them this time," he said, winking. He pushed the speechless Allen and Lavi towards the changing rooms, handing them a suit each while doing so.

As they were in the changing rooms, Krory stood outside, and said to them optimistically through the door, "If you want to ask someone, just go for it, okay?" Inside, Lavi and Allen took his words to heart.

'I'm going to do it,' both thought determinedly at the same time.

* * *

Miranda flumped onto the ground and let out a huge sigh. Lenalee went over to her in concern. It was mid-afternoon and Cloud had told them to practise on their own what she had taught them for the day. Moving on from their 'gliding' lesson, they had gone to Jeryy's kitchen where Cloud had requested a champagne glass for each of them.

"Hold the glass like this," Cloud had patiently demonstrated. "It must look elegant, and don't grip it too hard. Now, bring it to your lips and sip it very daintily like th–" She had been interrupted by the sound of glass breaking.

"I'M-SO-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-I-DON'T KNOW-HOW THAT-HAPPE–!"

So now, Miranda and Lenalee were outside of Headquarters in the meadow nearby. Miranda's hand trembled as she gripped the books that were to be placed on her head. Though her expression couldn't be seen, it was clear about how she was feeling as tears came descending onto the books.

"I- I can't do it, Lenalee…I c-can't even g-glide like how Miss Cloud taught us! I'm so h-hopeless!" she sobbed, burying her head into Lenalee's chest and the Chinese girl hugged her in comfort. Lenalee looked down sadly on her friend.

"Don't give up, Miranda. I believe in you," Lenalee said softly, holding Miranda. "You know, Miss Cloud helped me with that one. She said…"

(Flashback)

_"Lenalee," Cloud began after Lenalee picked up her books that fell after she unsuccessfully walked across the room, "Perhaps it would help if you try to imagine it a little differently."_

"_Differently?"_

"_Yes." Cloud took the books from her and gently positioned them on Lenalee's head. "Close your eyes, Lenalee." The pigtailed girl did as she was told._

"_Now, visualise yourself activating your Dark Boots. You are now using your Water Shackles skill. Hence, you are interfacing with the water surface. Imagine yourself like that right now. Do you feel that sensation? Take one step at a time; listen to the soft ripples you are making. It is a gentle, yet mesmerising sound. It is like flying on water, is it not? Now, hasten your pace slightly. Is it a different feeling now? More exhilarating, isn't it? You feel like you are moving quickly, and yet you feel like you are floating slowly at the same time. Now, Lenalee, open your eyes."_

_Cloud smiled at her. "And that is how you glide, my dear."_

_"Everyone has a their own way of visualising gliding. I feel that you will be able to help Miranda more than I can. So, help her, won't you?"_

(End of flashback)

"I think I can help you, Miranda. Just…follow my words okay?" She pulled the older woman up to a standing position, and gently placed the books back on her head. Miranda bit her lip in worry.

"Okay, close your eyes."

"Lenalee…?"

"Hush. Just close your eyes." Miranda obeyed.

Lenalee was thinking hard. What could Miranda relate to, actually? For her, it was her Dark Boots, while walking on water. That was her Innocence after all. Then maybe for Miranda… It was then when an idea formed in her head.

"Imagine as though all of Time has stopped. You don't have to rush; you can just take your time." Lenalee took Miranda's hands and stood in front of her. "There's nothing to worry; any mistake will just be affected by Recovery. Do you feel the stillness of Time, Miranda? It's serene, and tranquil."

Lenalee slowly led Miranda forward, one step at a time. "Imagine you are…walking down the path of Time. There's nothing to hurry you, is there? Don't you feel relaxed, and at ease? It's like…taking one step on utter softness, and hovering about. Time stops so that you can observe everything around you, and your footsteps become definite. There's no pressure, you can do anything you want and no one will say anything or do anything about it. Because Time is waiting for only you, Miranda."

The Chinese girl smiled broadly. "Miranda, open your eyes! Look!" The brown-haired woman hesitantly opened her eyes, somewhat reluctant to do so because she didn't want to see a single book fallen to the ground.

There weren't any. And she found herself across where she was standing before.

"Lenalee! I…I GLIDED!"

* * *

_(Back in town)_

Krory frowned, deep in thought. "What do you think, Allen, Lavi?" He held up two pair of shoes to his fellow Exorcists. Allen groaned softly and Lavi just buried his face into his palm.

"Kro-chan! They're the same! THEY'RE BLACK!" Lavi seethed.

Krory shook his head. "No, Lavi. This pair is _black_. This pair is _onyx_." Allen sweatdropped. After ordering the suits for Allen and Lavi, Krory had dragged them to the store next door, saying that he must buy the perfect shoes for his purchased suits.

While watching Krory engage in another "life-changing" decision-making session, Lavi glumly handed Allen his hammer. "Just hit me in the head, Allen. Hard. Maybe if I'm knocked out, Krory would finally agree to go back to headquarters."

* * *

_(Headquarters entrance)_

General Tiedoll, Kanda and Noise stood in front of the gates of the main Headquarters. Throughout their journey, Tiedoll of course had yet to succeed in getting Kanda to attend the ball. Nevertheless, he was counting on getting some of Kanda's friends, Lavi or Lenalee Lee perhaps, to change the Japanese swordsman's mind.

Speak of the devil; Lavi was coming towards the gate as well! He was accompanied by Allen and Krory (who had finally decided on the black shoes, not the onyx ones), and had a somewhat glum expression on his face. On seeing Kanda, Lavi's expression changed drastically and called out excitedly, "Yuu! Hey Yuu!"

"Idiot, what did you call me?!"

Tiedoll smiled in amusement. 'Ah yes, some things never change,' he thought. 'Wait, who is that, coming from the direction of the meadow? Why, it's Lenalee! And a young woman, a member of the Order presumably, is with her. What a lovely coincidence!'

"Allen! Lavi! Krory! Kanda!" Lenalee called out, waving, after she noticed them. She made a run towards them, her pigtails flying, and Miranda tried to keep up with her excited friend.

At the sight of Lenalee, Allen nervously bit his lip, and Lavi just stared blankly. Examining the reactions on the two teenage boys and recalling that the ball is around the corner, Tiedoll put two and two together and chuckled. He took Kanda by the collar, dragging him into Headquarters.

"Come, Yuu. We have much to discuss, about your reconsidering your decision to skip the ball," Tiedoll said cheerfully. He beckoned Noise to follow him in, while Kanda spat out some random Japanese swear words to his master.

"Good sir, you come in too," Tiedoll called out to Krory. Puzzled, Krory obeyed nonetheless. "And, kindly bring that charming young lady who is with Lenalee in with you as well." Krory did as he was told again, leading a tired Miranda (who had ran after Lenalee) into Headquarters with them.

And so, only a very shy Allen, a quiet Lavi and a confused Lenalee were left behind.

* * *

**The author speaks:** _I had fun writing this one! XD Oh by the way, I may be taking slightly longer to update on the next chapter, as the new school semester is starting in two days and it's an important year for me to focus on my studies. Just telling you all in advance!_

_Please R&R :)_

**Preview for the next chapter: **Who will get to ask Lenalee first? Allen, or Lavi? Anyway, the lessons with Cloud continues! And wait, Bookman has a few things to teach the male Exorcists as well. With the ball drawing closer and closer, things may start to get slightly more hectic, and Komui is getting doubtful whether the last two Generals will return... Bak comes all the way from Asia to see how preparations are doing. Talk about being an early bird! ;D


End file.
